Back in mid-January, I visited Stage 4, what was to be the Destiny set, for the first time. Construction was well under way and the ship was taking shape: gate room, control interface room, observation deck, quarters, and corridors. My first reaction upon strolling through the work-in-progress was: “Wow!” And then, my second reaction was:…
July 13, 2009: Author James Enge Answers Your Questions!
Author James Enge Today, it gives me great pleasure to turn this blog over to James Enge - fantasist, educator, and all-around nice guy. The only thing that pleases me more than playing host to a talented author is playing host to a talented and genial author (I suppose playing host to a talented and genial…
July 12, 2009: Touching Down And Catching Up.
As much as I hated saying goodbye to my mother and sister, I have to admit that I was relieved to finally be heading home. Montreal is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I caught an early flight out and, with the exception of some bizarre bread pudding-like catastrophe…
July 11, 2009: Alright, I’m Done!
In two days, I’ve attended two services - a Catholic funeral yesterday, and a Protestant memorial today. Some marked differences between the two in terms of ceremony, stained glass (Hey, is that a peacock?), and air conditioned comfort. More bells and rituals on the Catholic side. More violin solos and sweltering heat on the Protestant…
July 10, 2009: Playing Pop-A-Weasel In Church. Au Pied De Cochon.
I had only planned on attending one funeral while in town and, thus, packed accordingly. The news that I would have to attend a second took me by surprise and left me feeling like that guy who only owns a single suit, dress shirt, and tie he wears to every momentous occasion be it a…
July 9, 2009: Get Your Stargate Fix! Finally, A Decent Meal! And News Of Note!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of days or staying at your mother’s place in Montreal without proper internet access, you probably already know about the new, revamped, ultra-cool and informative dedicated Stargate site at MGM.com. It’s a terrific-looking site, easy to navigate, with tons of goodies on all things…
July 8, 2009: Points of Interest and Annoyance
My mother's guest bed is horrifically uncomfortable. It's like every night, after I turn off the lights, two guys armed with baseball bats crawl out from under the bed and beat me mercilessly about the neck, back, and shoulders until dawn. The picture tube on my mother's 30 year old t.v. set needs frequent breaks. …
July 7, 2009: Montreal Culinary Highs and Lows
“That Queen Latifah,”my mother suddenly remarked. “I like her.” And then, following a thoughtful silence: “She hosted that award show with no audience.” (referring, of course, to that strike-stricken People’s Choice Awards of a few couple of years back). “Hmmm,”I offered by way of a response, focused as I was on inching us along Highway…
July 6, 2009: Blood of Ambrose, by James Enge
King Lathmar, only twelve years old but heir to the Empire of Ontil, becomes the pawn in a dangerous political game when his Protector, the scheming Lord Urdhven, stages a shocking palace coup. Imprisoning his powerful rival and Lathmar’s guardian, the elderly yet fearsome Ambrosia of the Ambrosii, Lord Urdhven consolidates his hold on the…
July 5, 2009: Montreal vs. Vancouver
“So,”said my mother, breaking the silence as she gazed out the car’s passenger side window. “Do you ever see yourself moving back to Montreal?” I hesitated. Good question. Since moving to Vancouver ten years ago to join the writing staff of Stargate SG-1, there have been times I’ve missed Montreal - particularly in those first…
July 4, 2009: Touching Down in Montreal
The guy sitting beside me was a talker, keen on engaging me as we sat there, waiting for the ground crew to sort out whatever issue had delayed us. A comment here, a question there. I was polite, but kept the discourse brief at the risk of initiating a five and a half hour back…
July 3, 2009: Travel Day. Enjoy the Vids!
The dogs dedicate today's entry to Grant Imahara (http://twitter.com/grantimahara) and the rest of the gang at Mythbusters (http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html).
July 2, 2009: Oh, This and That.
Arlighty. I’m almost packed and almost ready to go. I’m going to Montreal for a week and, since I’m traveling alone, I’m going to try to minimize my TWA (Time Waiting Around) by foregoing checked luggage in favor of squeezing everything into my carry-on bags. So, just the bare essentials: socks, shirts, underwear, toiletries, laptop,…
July 1, 2009: Oh, Stuff and Such.
I haven't been getting much sleep of late. I blame my dogs who, for reasons unknown, have taken to waking up a full hour before my alarm. And if they're awake, you can be damn sure they want me awake. Rather than barking or biting however (Maximus is particularly adept at locating that fleshy area…
June 30, 2009: The Things That Creeped Me Out As A Child Still Creep Me Out Today.
10 Things That Freaked Me Out When I Was A Kid: Clowns Oompa Loompas Needles Bonhomme Carnaval, the unnervingly grinning mascot of the Quebec Winter Carnival Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - the entire movie Winding glass staircases The Harlem Globetrotters Those portable “black holes” from the old Warner Bros. cartoons Tiny Tim Munchkins Michelle writes:…